The Next Adventure
by WhatComesFromWithin
Summary: A few moments (and arguments) between Albus and Aberforth Dumbledore during their lives and after their deaths.


**A/N: Hey! This was written for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments) Performing Arts: Family Matters Task #5: Write about estranged siblings meeting up after years.**

**Warnings: One swear word, canon character death.**

Aberforth shuffled his feet in the sand as he waited, somewhat impatiently, for his older brother to arrive. They used to come down to this coast every summer when their parents were still alive. He remembered playing in the waves with Albus, although those memories were hazy at best. It had been a long time ago, when they were small and the world was simple. He supposed that he suggested this spot to try to remind Albus of the fun they used to have together, of how close they used to be. Of happiness, he supposed.

The air in front of Aberforth warped, and Albus was standing in front of him.

"Hullo, Aberforth," Albus greeted.

Aberforth glanced at the sand before lifting his gaze back to his brother. "Albus," he said seriously, "we need to talk."

A crease, barely noticeable, appeared between Albus' eyebrows. His lips pulled down as he said, "We have talked, Aberforth. Many, many times—"

"But we haven't," Aberforth interrupted. "We've talked, but we have yet to come to a solution. Albus, you can't go off with Gellert—"

"And why not?" All of Albus' patience appeared to have vanished. He leveled a glare at Aberforth, but Aberforth refused to flinch away from his icy gaze. "Ariana will be fine, Aberforth, it's not as though she can't walk—"

"You don't understand her condition like I do, Albus; you're not around her as often as I am—"

"Are you suggesting that I don't take enough care of this family?" Albus demanded. "Do you have any idea how much I've _sacrificed_—"

"_You haven't_! You think you have, but a couple of years isn't going to hurt you! Staying in Godric's Hollow for just a few more, just until I graduate, won't make or break your life! But if you move Ariana now, while she's unstable, you could break her life," Aberforth finished in a whisper.

Aberforth looked at his older brother, his heart heavy in his chest. He watched as Albus' pride and ambition warred for dominance in his eyes, and he could tell which one won out when Albus set his mouth in a firm line.

"Ariana will be fine, Aberforth. We won't move her very far, but we will move. Gellert and I can't continue our research in Godric's Hollow. I said I would take care of you guys, and I will. Just trust me."

Aberforth said nothing.

"Let's return home, Aberforth. I'll let Ariana and Aberforth know what my decision is. We're moving in three months."

* * *

"Hurry up, Aberforth; we're leaving tomorrow and we need to prepare."

Aberforth glowered at Gellert Grindelwald. Without turning to face his brother behind him, he said through gritted teeth, "Albus, I need to talk to you outside." He stalked toward the front door, happily letting it slam shut behind him. He stalked over to a spot about ten meters from the front door and planted himself there. Aberforth turned to face the door right as it opened and Albus stepped out.

Albus Apparated right in front of Aberforth. He seemed annoyed, or maybe exasperated. It was getting just a little bit harder for Aberforth to read his brother than it used to be, and that frustrated him to no end.

"What is it, Aberforth?"

Aberforth looked Albus straight in the eyes. "You need to call off this moving business. Ariana _can't handle it_ in her state. She's been getting worse, Albus, and uprooting her and placing her in a new environment is just going to make her mind deteriorate faster! She's losing control, and Mother's death hasn't exactly helped her mental state. We need to stay here and figure out a way to help her gain control again. Providing familiarity and comfort is the best way to do that."

Albus had waited to hear him out, but it looked like he was going to lose his temper at any moment. Aberforth knew that he was tired of this conversation—they'd been having it for _months_—but this matter was too important for him to just let it go. Deep down, Aberforth _knew_ that Ariana would only end up hurt if they moved her to a different location, and he knew Albus knew it, too. His brother was simply too full of ambition and a yearning for knowledge to see it at the moment. Aberforth could tell how much pain Albus was feeling, watching the years he had thought he'd be using to explore the world pass him by while he was stuck at home. He knew that Albus wasn't the type of person who would ever be satisfied, and not being able to pursue his dreams and ambitions was probably something akin to torture for him. Still, Albus' pride and honor demanded that he step up and take care of his younger siblings, no matter how many times Aberforth assured him that he could easily care for himself and Ariana.

Albus, for all his prodigal wisdom, always trusted that he was right, and when he thought he was right, nothing could sway him.

"This is my chance," Albus said quietly, "and I won't throw it away. By making this move, I can take care of you two and continue the work Gellert and I have started—"

"But at _what cost_?!" Aberforth exploded. Despite all he knew Albus must have been struggling with, this was just too much for Aberforth. Family was more important than some flimsy career, some dubious research—he didn't care what Albus and Gellert said about how it could change the world. Truth be told, Aberforth didn't care all that much about what happened to the world. But he did care about his brother and sister, and right now, one of them was putting the other in danger. "Ariana will not benefit from this, Albus, _and you know it_! You're just too blinded by your own ambition to see it!"

"That's enough."

Albus and Aberforth both turned to look at the owner of the voice. Albus straightened his spine when he saw who it was while Aberforth barely refrained from rolling his eyes.

Gellert glanced between the two of them as he took a step closer. His gaze settled on Aberforth. "Don't talk to your brother that way. He's doing what's best for you and your sister—"

Gellert's interference was the last straw. "And what would you know about what's best for my family?" Aberforth demanded hotly. "You don't care about any of us; you only want to use Albus for his brain so you can achieve whatever goal it is you've set for yourself."

"Aberforth!" Albus shouted.

Gellert ignored him. He drew his wand. "Those accusations are severe," he nearly growled. "I won't hesitate to duel you, Aberforth." Gellert lifted his chin. "Unless, that is, you're too afraid to lose."

A flash of light sped through the air and knocked Gellert onto his back. "Never!" Aberforth shouted.

Gellert didn't stay down long. He immediately got to his feet again and started firing at Aberforth. Somewhere in between the fighting and the sounds of spells being shouted, Aberforth thought he heard Albus pleading with them to stop. But they didn't. Aberforth and Gellert had resented each other for a while now, and neither of them were the type to back down from a fight once one had started. Insults were flying faster than the spells were being cast, but one in particular apparently got through to Albus.

"You and your filthy sister should have died by now!"

A shot of red light streaked past Gellert, missing him by mere centimeters. "Don't ever insult them," growled Albus.

Albus joined Aberforth and started firing at Gellert, finally leveling the playing field. Between all of the curses, jinxes, shouts, and insults, no one noticed the door to the house open, no one noticed the little girl approaching the fight, curious as to what was going on, and no one saw who had cast the curse until a scream tore itself from Ariana's throat and she fell to the ground heavily, dead.

Aberforth dropped his wand as ice coated his body, freezing the blood in his veins and stilling his heart.

"ARIANA!"

He didn't even register his feet moving until he was kneeling on the grass beside his little sister's body. He checked her pulse, even though he knew that it was hopeless. Vaguely, he could make out the sound of footsteps running to his side. Albus kept muttering, "No, no, no, no, no," and Gellert tried to reach for Ariana's wrist, most likely to also check her pulse.

Aberforth, who had gathered Ariana into his arms without noticing it, wrenched her away from his grasp. "Don't you dare touch her. This is all your fault," he hissed.

"Aberforth…" Albus trailed off, sounding utterly broken.

"Don't you dare say a damn word, Albus," Aberforth growled. "You wouldn't listen to me," a sob escaped Aberforth's throat, "and now Ariana is dead."

"We don't know who cast the spell," Gellert began.

"I have a pretty good idea of who it was," Aberforth snapped. He looked at Albus. "If you hadn't been so caught up in these Hallow things, if you had just been patient for a few more years, you could have had the entire world at your feet, just waiting to be explored, and Ariana would be _alive_. I will never, ever forgive you for this, Albus."

"Wait, Aberforth—"

Aberforth let go of Ariana just long enough to turn around and land a punch on his brother's nose. He thought he heard a crack.

Aberforth cradled Ariana in his arms, stood back up, and ran inside. He laid Ariana on her bed and clasped her rapidly cooling hand and cried. He cried for her, he cried for himself, and he cried for Albus.

* * *

Aberforth opened his eyes. He was on the coast from his childhood home, a place he hadn't visited since...well, since before Gellert Grindelwald entered his life.

He sat up and started when he saw who was standing in front of him. Crooked nose, half-moon spectacles, wise old twinkle, stupid beard and all. Albus.

"Hullo, Aberforth."

"I don't want to talk about it."

Albus tilted his head to the side. "Talk about what, exactly?"

Aberforth narrowed his eyes. "You know what. I'm not sorry, you know. I don't regret my decisions in life. At all."

A sad gleam entered Albus' eyes. "Then you are a fortunate man indeed." There was a pause, and then Albus said, "You know, I think you were right, Aberforth."

The familiar heat Aberforth had felt rushing through his veins vanished when Albus said that. "What do you mean?" he asked cautiously.

Albus walked over to where Aberforth was still sitting slowly. When Aberforth didn't protest, he sat down beside him. "I was wrong. I should have waited, shouldn't have been so blind to Ariana's needs. I should have trusted you, Aberforth. You'd cared for her more than I had."

Albus wasn't going to get off the hook quite so easily. "It took you, what, a lifetime or so to come to this conclusion? I thought you were supposed to be smart, Albus."

Albus laughed, but there was no humor in it. "You know," he said after a moment, "I see our family when I look into the Mirror of Erised. For a long time, I thought that the Mirror was wrong. I spent years building up my name and reputation. The time I'd been stuck at home in Godric's Hollow didn't hurt my chances of that, so you were also right in that regard. But what I should have been doing was spending those decades trying to earn your forgiveness. You were the only family I had left, and I left you alone for the majority of your life. I really did want to take care of the two of you, Aberforth." There were tears in the corners of his eyes. "But I just wasn't ready for that yet. So I'm sorry. I'm sorry that my poor decisions led to Ariana's death, I'm sorry I was sucked into Gellert's trap, and I'm sorry that I abandoned you for years."

Aberforth didn't respond. There were no words that he felt could do his emotions in that moment justice. He wasn't ready to forgive Albus, not at all. There was too much resentment that he harbored, even in death, and if there was one thing he had in common with his brother, it was stubbornness.

Aberforth let out a sigh and stood up. Albus' eyes were lowered, but they snapped up to meet Aberforth's when he reached out his hand.

"C'mon," Aberforth said to him. "Show me where to go."

Albus saw the gesture as the peace offering it was and grasped Aberforth's hand. Aberforth pulled him up, and Albus led the way through their white surroundings, Aberforth never more than half a step behind him. They walked on to their next great adventure, together.


End file.
